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Galaxy S4 versus HTC One for Sprint

ZepTepi

Android Enthusiast
Jan 30, 2011
419
216
San Diego, CA
So maybe I'm wrong for thinking I can find some unbiased opinions here or that said opinions will really help get me off the fence on this but I am going to try anyway.

This thread is clearly for anyone who has had both phones.

I have had the Evo 4g LTE phone for a little over a year. I'm actually on my 3rd phone of this model and it's got numerous issues so I've deceided, as much as I like about this model and wanted it to be a good phone for me, it's time to move on. Unfortunately i'm very much on the fence as to which way to go.

I like a number of things about both phones and even after reading numerous articles and watching several YouTube comparison videos I'm still undecided. I fought hard with Sprint to finally get them to work with me in a way I thought was fair and am now at the point where I have to make a decision and switch.

So can any of you who have experience with both phones give me your thoughts?

Thank You in advance.
 
These two phones are truly evenly matched. You'll be happy if you get either. Here are a few key differences to highlight, based on the type of person that you are.

Storage:

The One uses 32GB of unified storage whereas the S4 uses 16GB of internal storage and accepts MicroSD up to 64GB. If you're not big in loading your own media, the HTC One offers the more trouble-free setup. But, if you use tons of media, the S4 is more flexible for your needs.

Display:

Both devices offer best-in-class 1080p displays, and anyone who tells you that one is clearly superior to the other is sadly mistaken. Each has advantages. The HTC One's display offers more accurate colors and a sharper image, the latter due to RGB stripe and just being a smaller display at the same resolution. The S4 offers a larger display with more vibrant colors that some prefer, as well as truer blacks and contrast ratio (again, an advantage for media consumption).

User Interface:

HTC has designed a better interface in terms of how consistent it looks and functions throughout. It's as smooth as pure Android on the Nexus 4 and Google Play Edition devices. Samsung's Galaxy S4 has an interface that is loaded with extra features, but is sluggish at times.

Conclusion: There are more factors, but these were some of the big ones that I would have considered had I not preferred the Google Play Edition devices. Ultimately, I think it boils down simplicity versus flexibility. HTC very much took the Apple approach of "it's simple, and it just works," whereas Samsung threw everything including the kitchen sink at this device. Are you the kind of person who just wants a smartphone that just works, or are you a media consuming person who needs a device that more easily adapts to your needs? I think that is what it boils down to. There's no "better device" between these two, just which is a better device for your unique needs.
 
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Here is my current mindset:

Reasons I'm considering leaving HTC behind and moving to the S4:

  • have had issues with my last 2 HTC models, Original Evo 4g & 4g LTE, and am concerned the One will turn out like the 4g LTE and be a headache for many people. I've had multiple Sprint reps tell me the 4g LTE is one of the worst phones they have ever dealt with in terms of the issues many people have experienced.
  • my gf is planing on moving to the S4
  • apparent wider variety of features
  • concerns about how metal case of One will handle wear & tear over time
  • Concerns about Ones non-removable battery
Reasons I'm considering staying with HTC and moving to the One:

  • My like of and familiarity of Sense interface
  • Reported fact that the S4 is more laggy than the One. My experience is that, over time, issues like that only get worse as phone ages.
  • Reported fact that speaker is superior to S4. I use speaker phone a great deal on the job.
  • I own the HTC Media Link. It would obviously be obsolete if I move away from HTC.
  • After playing around with both phones cameras in stores the One seemed superior in taking close up & small item pics. I take pics of things at work quite a bit. Sometimes the pics are of small items or bugs.


Those are the things that come to mind at this time. If anyone feels like I got something wrongs about any of the issues I noted please feel free to voice your opinion!


Thanks!
 
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After playing around with both phones... in store

This is the most important thing.

Go into the store and play with them. Not just poking around few minutes. Really dive into both phones and get to know the features, build, fluidity, ect. Preferably without a sales person hovering over you. You want an unbiased side by side comparison that you can judge.


Personally...
I had the evo 4g and 4g lte, and now have an s3 (which right now Sprints had to replace twice in the last week). My next phone I'll be going back to HTC as I've had issues with the Samsung phones I've had.
 
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If your GF is getting the S4 anyway than why not keep it simple and get the S4, that way you can use all the same Samsung accessories and use S-Beam to share files and media.

Definitely a consideration but not an overriding one. That it meets all my needs at work is my biggest desire. She takes alot of pics but isn't really into videos & music on her phones so that wouldn't be something we would use alot though I'm sure we would once in a blue moon.
 
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Definitely a consideration but not an overriding one. That it meets all my needs at work is my biggest desire. She takes alot of pics but isn't really into videos & music on her phones so that wouldn't be something we would use alot though I'm sure we would once in a blue moon.

I don't know enough about what you want from a phone and there's not allot separating these two devices.

If you use speaker phone allot and prefer Sense then get the HTC One, the speakers are better.

In terms of quality you already know what to expect, HTC's quality control is not as good as Samsung's and if you damage or scratch the metal case the HTC One will have that damage throughout your contract/life because nothing is replaceable and repairs are more or less impossible.
 
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I was a Sprint customer for a couple of years with the original HTC Evo 4G, and upgraded to HTC One in June. This phone had the best call quality I have ever used. However, it had the "death grip reception" problem. In other words, when I gripped the phone at its bottom, the signal reception level could drop 20-25 dB.

I exchanged the phone twice and all three phones had the same problem. Additionally, it had very bad receptions at some places with good Sprint signal. My wife's HTC Evo Shift 4G would get 4 bars and my HTC One would get only 1 bar. At that pointed, I had to return the 3rd HTC One, cancelled my Sprint account, and switched to Verizon.

I am now on the 12th day of my 2nd HTC Droid DNA on Verizon. The first one had bad speaker phone. When I put the call on the speaker, the voice would get cut off and the speech quality was very choppy. The 2nd HTC Droid DNA works well so far. I think it is a good phone.

After seeing all the trouble I have gone through with my new HTC phones, my wife switched to Samsung S3. She has had no problem with the phone at all.

As you can see, I have been a HTC fan. To be fair, I really liked the HTC One phone. I think it is the best phone in a controlled environment. Also not every HTC One phone has the same problem. But if you do a search "HTC One death grip" on YouTube, you will find others have the same problems as well.

One more thing: I reported my problem to HTC. I have received about 20 emails from HTC regarding the issue. But they were all lip services, asked lots of questions, but offered no solution at all.
 
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I've wondered a lot lately why things just can't seem to go smoothly with my phone situation. Of course wondering why won't do anything to fix the situation.
After having my LTEvo replaced twice already I am not about to try a 4th phone so I spent a good amount of time on the phone with Sprint and finally got them to give me an early upgrade so I could get into a different(better hopefully) phone. Although I feel somewhat star crossed with HTC over the last 2 years after having issues with my Org Evo 4g, the replacement one i got, and the same with all 3 LTEvos I had I gave serious consideration to moving to the S4 but after reading many reviews, user opinions, and watching more than a few videos I made the decision, this morning, to give HTC one more try and go with the One.
I heard that BestBuy had them selling for $99 and went into a local store on Saturday and found that they did indeed have them for that price and one of their employees also said I could bring in any phone that could hold a charge and didn't have any physical damage and they would give me $50 credit towards a phone. I was still on the fence at that time and was still working on my finances so I told him I would take a couple of days to decide which phone I wanted and after deciding on the One I went back in today only to find the $99 sale on the One ended Sunday and the $50 credit for a working phone only applies to the S4, not the One and I was told the employee I spoke to should have known that. :-/
So here I am still without a new, fully functioning phone wondering what my next move should be. I still want the One and having been unable to find it going for less than $199 I am thinking my only choice is to just ante up the $$ and get it.

Am I being too indecisive? Probably. Too hopeful of getting a great deal? Feels that way, yeah but geez it's been very frustrating not being able to just have a reasonably functioning phone.

Hopefully this bitching session will make me feel better! JK
 
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I've wondered a lot lately why things just can't seem to go smoothly with my phone situation. Of course wondering why won't do anything to fix the situation.
After having my LTEvo replaced twice already I am not about to try a 4th phone so I spent a good amount of time on the phone with Sprint and finally got them to give me an early upgrade so I could get into a different(better hopefully) phone. Although I feel somewhat star crossed with HTC over the last 2 years after having issues with my Org Evo 4g, the replacement one i got, and the same with all 3 LTEvos I had I gave serious consideration to moving to the S4 but after reading many reviews, user opinions, and watching more than a few videos I made the decision, this morning, to give HTC one more try and go with the One.
I heard that BestBuy had them selling for $99 and went into a local store on Saturday and found that they did indeed have them for that price and one of their employees also said I could bring in any phone that could hold a charge and didn't have any physical damage and they would give me $50 credit towards a phone. I was still on the fence at that time and was still working on my finances so I told him I would take a couple of days to decide which phone I wanted and after deciding on the One I went back in today only to find the $99 sale on the One ended Sunday and the $50 credit for a working phone only applies to the S4, not the One and I was told the employee I spoke to should have known that. :-/
So here I am still without a new, fully functioning phone wondering what my next move should be. I still want the One and having been unable to find it going for less than $199 I am thinking my only choice is to just ante up the $$ and get it.

Am I being too indecisive? Probably. Too hopeful of getting a great deal? Feels that way, yeah but geez it's been very frustrating not being able to just have a reasonably functioning phone.

Hopefully this bitching session will make me feel better! JK

I forgot to mention that I also got my 1st negative comments from a Sprint rep about the One today as well. Up until today I hadn't had anyone at Sprint say the One was a troublesome phone. I had just walked out of BestBuy and called a local Sprint store to see if they had any deals running and I mentioned to the guy that I had been considering both the S4 & One and he proceeded to tell me that they had begun having alot of people returning their Ones and getting S4's because they were unhappy with different things about the phone. He specifically mentioned BlinkFeed and how it was not designed very well. He said "are you familiar with windows 8?" and I said yes. He then said BlinkFeed is "just like that and most people returning their phones didn't want that or they would have gotten a windows phone". Now let me say that while I his opinion was very anti-One I don't take it was gospel, so to speak. I would still like to try the One over the S4 but it was interesting that one the day my plans for getting in the One were kind of tripped up I would get such an opinion after just about every other Sprint rep I have spoken to recently taking a "middle of the road" stance on the 2 phones. Can't help but wonder if his store actually is seeing a jump in One returns or if he was lying, and if it's the later, what would be the reason for him doing so? They aren't on commission from Samsung. At least I don't think they are.

Anyway, I've got to do something very soon as I don't know how long the $ the Sprint Customer Care rep quoted for turning in my LTEvo will stand and if I wait too long I think they will probably end up charging me the difference. Looks like I'm going to have to pay the full $199 after-all.
 
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Blinkfeed isn't a problem. If you don't like it, turn off all syncing, set a different screen as your default homescreen and never look at it again (the Sense launcher won't let you remove it though).

If you really don't want it, install a third party launcher and you'll never see it again. The problem is that many people will never think of installing a launcher, or finding out what it is.

As for the rep, who knows? He may have had a run of returns (which may be a real thing or a statistical glitch - I doubt he worked out the statistical significance of it before commenting). Conversely I've read enough reports of reps in US stores who seem determined to push one or two models above all others that you do wonder whether they or the network might have a financial motivation. But I've no solid information either way.
 
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Blinkfeed isn't a problem. If you don't like it, turn off all syncing, set a different screen as your default homescreen and never look at it again (the Sense launcher won't let you remove it though).

If you really don't want it, install a third party launcher and you'll never see it again. The problem is that many people will never think of installing a launcher, or finding out what it is.

As for the rep, who knows? He may have had a run of returns (which may be a real thing or a statistical glitch - I doubt he worked out the statistical significance of it before commenting). Conversely I've read enough reports of reps in US stores who seem determined to push one or two models above all others that you do wonder whether they or the network might have a financial motivation. But I've no solid information either way.

It's probably simpler than you think, for stores they will push what they have in stock, if they have allot of HTC One's then they will push the HTC One.

Of course that's not always a good indication as it could mean there not selling well or they just ordered too much. :D
 
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Go to youtube and watch comparison videos. Go to the store and play around with each device. Don't go by what others say about a particular phone. Only you know what you want/need in a phone.

I'll just caution you against the whole build quality issue. Once you slap it in a case, build quality sought of goes out the window IMO.
 
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